120-year-old ice cream parlour has stunning seaside flagship in UK

Morelli's, a traditional Italian ice cream parlour established nearly 120 years ago, now boasts stores worldwide, including its flagship store in the beautiful seaside town of Broadstairs, Kent.

The journey of Morelli's began back in 1907 when Giuseppe Morelli and his young son Mario moved from Italy to Scotland. They would sell their homemade ice cream every morning, pedalling their bikes until they had sold their entire stock.

As the ice cream's popularity grew, they upgraded from bikes to a van, further strengthening their business.

In 1932, Mario opened the first Morellis parlour in Broadstairs, strategically placed along the seafront above the stunning Viking Bay.

By 1959, the parlour expanded its selection from eight to an impressive 24 different flavours of ice cream, helping solidify the reputation it still holds today, reports the Express.

Presently, the Morellis chain consists of 10 stores globally with three situated in the UK Broadstairs, Whitstable, and Covent Garden, and seven dotted across the globe Texas, the Philippines, Dubai, and Uzbekistan.

They proudly proclaim on their website: "The uniqueness of Morelli's - our history, the quality and freshness of our product and the creativity of our offer - has been introduced and is well loved by a global clientele; the energy of the business is always to bring gelato - the very best of it - to the world."

The gelateria not only serves freshly made ice cream each morning but also delights customers with a variety of milkshakes, hot crepes, waffles, gateaux, fresh croissants, paninis, and focaccia.

Bibi Morelli shared with Kent Online: "My great-great-grandfather started making ice cream in the late 1800s. We started properly in 1907 and opened Broadstairs in 1932. We think it is one of the oldest ice cream parlours in the UK. I am the fifth generation running it."

"It is very much a family business still. My godson is training to take over as manager and my parents, husband, brother, and his family, are all very involved in the business."

"It is really a family business. One of the loveliest things is that we get so many customers coming in to say they used to come to Morelli's as children. We love that we can be a generational and a family shop that people come to year after year."

Broadstairs boasts what has been described by outdoor specialists Canopy and Stars as one of the "most underappreciated beaches in Kent", lauding its full array of coastal features.

Kingsgate Bay is celebrated for its sandy cove, white cliffs, hidden caves, golden sands, and the shimmering blue sea.

Canopy and Stars commented: "It's got every feature you'd hope to see, from a sandy cove to a sea arch, soaring white cliffs to frame it, and even caves to explore (keep checking those tide times)."

"Even better, if you've got a hound with you, it's dog-friendly year-round. Instead of having to trudge a long way to the nearest watering hole before, during or after some sandy strolls, you've got a local pub at the top of the cliff overlooking the beach."